Hay shortage could make winter feeding difficult in Sask.

Many cattle producers, especially in southern Saskatchewan, are going to have to scratch around to find feed this winter. | File photo

Many cattle producers looking for local feed this winter might have a difficult time, says Saskatchewan Agriculture’s provincial forage specialist.

Terry Kowalchuk of Saskatchewan Agriculture said many cattle producers, especially in southern areas, are going to have to scratch around to find feed this winter.

Kowalchuk said localized shortages will prompt industrious producers to find other sources. How soon depends on how much hay they have stockpiled.

Many cattle producers have a year’s supply to get them through times when lower quality forages are tight.

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He said lower quality grain crops harvested in drought-ravaged southwestern and south-central Saskatchewan may offer cattle producers an alternative.

As well, he said he expects to see many farmers cutting ditches, using straw and chaff and finding other sources of inexpensive feed this fall and winter.

Adding to the problem, many farmers in southwestern and south-central areas have had to take cattle off grazing lands early to preserve pastures. Early feeding brings an added cost most producers can ill afford.

“If we have an early winter and it’s extremely cold, there will be serious pressure on the cattle industry in particular,” Kowalchuk said.

He estimated producers in the southwestern and south-central regions cut about 50 percent of the hay they have in previous years.

However, the situation isn’t all doom and gloom.

Producers further north in the grey and black soil zones and those producing high quality feed for export in Alberta saw near record hay production.

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Ed Shaw, director of market development for Green Prairie International, a forage supplier based in Lethbridge, said this year has been one of the best he’s seen for high quality forages.

Green Prairie exports timothy hay and alfalfa overseas and mixed hay, timothy and alfalfa to the Florida horse market. It has also started a pet food line, which has increased demand for supreme timothy.

“The weather was very good, the quality has been very good, the yield, the yields were pretty fair. For the most part, world market prices are decent,” Shaw said.

“So, it’s almost like a home run where you get the pricing, the weather, yield, quality all together. That’s not too common.”

He said one problem is a lack of enough lower quality forages, which some of his cost-conscious clients want.